Page:History of Adelaide and vicinity.djvu/355

 "°"A.catt ADELAIDE AND VICINITY 529 parliamentary suffrages. He was returned to the House of Assembly in company with the Hon. J. H. Howe, now M.L.C. ; and he sat for Stanley until 1884, when the re-construction of electorates was brought about. Mr. Catt then stood for Gladstone, which contained a great portion of his old constituency, and was returned ; and he has continued to represent that electorate without interruption to the present time, on two occasions bein^' return<xl unopposed. Mr. Catt was but a month in the House when he was given the portfolio of Minister of Crown Lands in the Bray Government, which held office from June, 1881, till June, 1884. The conferment of Ministerial office upon him thus early in his political life was a signal tribute to Mr. Catt's ability; and his administration of the land laws amply bore out the high opinion his friends had formed of him. During Mr. Catt's tenure of office certain land legislation was passed relative to relieving selectors of some of their liabilities to the .State. There was much acrimonious debate and discussion raised at the time as to the manner in which the Bill was administered by the Commissioner. The chief objection urged against Mr. Catt was that he allowed surrenders in some cases which did not merit relief But he contended -and it proved rightly, too^that he had no option save to accept surrenders in all cases. Mr. Catt again became a member of Government, his political chief this time being the Hon. T. Playford, in whose Ministry he was Minister of Public Works from June, 1887, to June, 1889. The subject of this sketch has always been a powerful advocate for water conservation and irrigation. Whilst in the Bray Ministry, he introduced the first Bill for water conservation, and carried it through the Assembly practically without opposition. It was, however, rejected by the Legislative Council. Mr. Catt took a very active part in securing the passing of the Beetaloo Water .Scheme ; and he it was who introduced and practically carried the Railway Commissioners Bill when Minister of Public Works. Early in 1887 he was accorded the title " Honorable " by the Queen ; and it was three years later — June, 1890 — that he was elected, without opposition, Chairman of Committees of the House of Assembly. His predecessors in this office were the late Mr. William Townsend, Hon. John Carr, Mr. Luke Liddiard Eurner, and the Hon. Ebenezer Ward. Ever since his arrival in the Colony, Mr. Catt has taken the greatest interest in religious matters. F"or several years he has been Superintendent of the Strathalbyn, Gladstone, Pirie Street, and Parkside Wesleyan Sunday-schools, and he has held the position of President of the Sunday-school Union. In all charitable and philanthropic affairs he has ever shown a sympathetic and kindly spirit. As a man he is conscientious to a degree, while as a politician he is the embodiment of earnestness and energy, and to these latter qualities are due many of the wise laws put on our statute books. He has been an active member of the Volunteer Eorce, holding the rank of Lieutenant of the Strathalbyn force. Captain of the Gladstone corps, and Captain of the Reserve Eorce. He was President of the Strathalbyn and Gladstone Institutes, both being built during his term of office. He was als.^ a member of the Hospital Board for some years, Chairman of the Murray Water Commission, Chairman of the Barossa Irrigation Commission, and of other Commissions. He was appointed a J. P. in 1881. W